Day one in Kyoto happens to be Christmas day!
I woke up early this morning to talk with my parents and at the time it was still Christmas eve for them. It's really not Christmas without them, but I guess I skip Christmas this year.

I headed out a little before nine in the morning. I bought a 500yen (5 dollar) bus pass for the day and visited a flea market that morning! At Kitano Tenmangu Shrine was a large year end flea market. I ended up buying a few things!

Top Left: Tiny sake cup
Top Right: Matching tiny sake cups
Bottom Left: Temari Ball (traditionally a hand ball, but it's an art form now.
Bottom right: Another sake cup.

I then visited Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) which was in the same general area. The bus pass is definitely recommended when you get here. Chances are, your hostel or hotel will sell one for 500yen. They are a deal because anywhere you go is 230. Therefore, if you ride more than twice a day, which you definitely will, it's a deal. I think I saved at least five to seven dollars. It's also quicker than counting out change all the time.

I headed back to Gion after that and visited their local shrine which I hadn't last time I came here. It's spread out and quiet but a very pretty walk.

The weather today was off and on drizzly, sort of breezy and sometimes sunny. In the city it's always shaded anyways and the wind is typically tunnel wind. It is late December but these photos probably look like early fall. It was fairly cold today but I was fine in a coat and sweater.

After walking around for a while and going down old Gion which is the Geisha district with old tea houses, a theater and other shops, it started to rain. My shoes have holes in them so I decided to call it a day.

I am here long enough that I don't need to move around quick and I can actually enjoy some time at my hostel. It's nice to walk around in the morning to early afternoon and head back before it's too cold or too dark.

I took the Sunflower Ferry from Beppu port to Osaka. I enjoy the ferry but it arrives a little too early for my tastes. Unfortunately there is not much to do at 7am in Osaka except barely find a place to get breakfast.

I was going to head to the history museum, but it didn't open until nine.
I grabbed a small breakfast at a small breakfast restaurant. (2 pieces of toast and a hard boiled egg and coffee).

Due to the printers at APU deciding not to work for a few days before I left, I had no maps. Somehow I still managed pretty well actually. Although you can travel pretty easily in Japan without knowing Japanese, I suggest at least knowing how to read the hiragana or katakana. Not their meanings, just how to read them. Sometimes the subways stations on the map are only written in hiragana.

SO DESPITE ALL OF THAT.

I walked around Osaka Castle park really early that morning, killed some time there. Still all beautiful all that. I didn't go inside, since I wasn't here to visit the inside of the castle. Osaka is not my favorite city, maybe my least favorite. Not much to do except eat and I am on a budget. Eating comes second.

I visited Namba, Dontonbori and Shin Sai Bashi which is a long shopping district with modern things such as clothes, kitchen stuff, etc, etc, nothing I wanted to buy. Killed time, killed time.

The real reason I stayed around in Osaka instead of going right to Kyoto was for the Osaka Castle Illuminations which were beautiful!

It's Christmas Eve here and I can't help but feel a little lonely. I know my family would have loved to see these lights and gone out for breakfast. I think they would enjoy themselves here and I want to show them around one day. I hope they have a wonderful Christmas and I miss them a lot. It just doesn't feel like Christmas here, although I am enjoying myself.